Indiana didn’t need a clean shooting night to make a statement on Sunday.
Even with a 36.2% clip from the floor, the Hoosiers rolled past North Carolina 76-58 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in their second exhibition game, leaning on size, physicality and a defense that never let the Tar Heels settle in. Indiana led by as many as 22 in the second half, and North Carolina’s last lead came early at 12-11. From there, the Hoosiers took over the game with rebounding and pressure.
The biggest edge came on the glass. Indiana crushed North Carolina 53-31 in rebounds, a number that tells the story of a team built very differently from a year ago.
Samet Yigitoglu finished with 11 rebounds and used his 7-foot-2 frame to alter things around the rim. Aiden Sherrell added 10 rebounds and kept the floor spread with his three-point shooting.
Sam Alexis, meanwhile, was part of a frontcourt trio that forced North Carolina to give up space in the paint.
“We put the roster together to be good at it (rebounding), and then we’ve really emphasized it. And again, the buy-in has been at a high level by a lot of guys, and they’ve done a great job with it.” DeVries said postgame.
Indiana also turned North Carolina’s mistakes into points, converting 15 turnovers into 19 points. That kind of extra-possession basketball has shown up early in Darian DeVries’s second Indiana squad, which has now outscored opponents 172-126 through two preseason games. It’s still exhibition basketball, but the early profile is clear: bigger, deeper and more physical.
“I thought the offensive rebounding was great. I’d like to make a few more of the first shots,” DeVries said.
“That’s a night where we don’t have it going. We weren’t very clean on the offensive end, but we were still able to overcome it with some offensive rebounding.”
The frontcourt depth is a real difference-maker. Alexis doesn’t have to carry the interior alone anymore, and that matters for a team that wants to grind out games later on. His size and experience help tie the group together, while Yigitoglu and Sherrell give Indiana options it simply didn’t have last season.
Offensively, Bryce Lindsay was the story. He poured in 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting after Markus Burton picked up two quick fouls in the first two minutes. Lindsay stepped in immediately and gave Indiana a steady scoring lift off the bench.
“I thought Bryce did a great job.” DeVries said.
“I thought he made some really good plays. You know, some of the threes and things that we see that a lot.”
Darren Harris kept the perimeter game moving, finishing with 11 points and hitting 3 of 9 from deep. Indiana launched 27 threes and made nine, and that volume fits the way this roster is constructed.
With Yigitoglu, Sherrell and Alexis attacking the boards, the Hoosiers can afford to let it fly. Misses don’t always end possessions.
Burton also chipped in 11 points despite playing only 18 minutes. If he gets into rhythm and stays on the floor, there’s another level this offense can reach.
The defense matched the rebounding punch. Indiana held North Carolina to 34.9% shooting overall and 31.8% from three, while forcing 15 turnovers and collecting eight steals. The Tar Heels’ starting guards and wings had trouble creating clean looks, with Jarin Stevenson finishing 1-for-7 and Neo Avdalas going 3-for-11 with four turnovers.
“I thought in general we did a really good job defensively.” DeVries said. “I think they’re doing a terrific job of buying into it.”
North Carolina’s best interior production came from Sayon Keita, who led the Tar Heels with 12 points and nine rebounds. Even there, Indiana’s size held up, as Yigitoglu added a block and two steals to his rebound total, Alexis blocked two shots in 16 minutes, and Sherrell and Burton each finished with a block and a steal.
Indiana closes the exhibition slate next Sunday at 4 p.m. ET against Western Kentucky in Evansville.
In Other News...
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The usage chart also sharpened the debate in the backfield and along the line. Turbo Richard saw a heavier snap share than Lee Beebe Jr., while the offensive line held up better in pass protection than in run blocking, leaving the ground game with less room to breathe than the passing game had. For Indiana, that split matters now, because the numbers suggest the offense has pieces that can travel, but not yet a fully settled formula for how to use them. [Read more 🡒]
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Curt Cignetti Calls Out What Indiana Must Fix Before Michigan
Curt Cignetti did not sugarcoat what went wrong after Indianas narrow loss, and the list started with the kinds of mistakes that can swing a tight game before it ever settles in. Missed field goals and turnovers were front and center in his postgame message, along with the broader issue of execution that kept the Hoosiers from making the most of their opportunities. With Michigan next on the schedule, the margin for those lapses gets even thinner.
Cignetti also pointed to the offensive balance Indiana needs to find, along with sharper quarterback accuracy, as the staff turns quickly to correction mode. The bigger concern now is not just fixing the details, but doing it while keeping the group mentally tough enough to carry those lessons through the rest of the season. Saturdays setback left little doubt about what has to improve first, and the Wolverines offer an immediate test of whether those adjustments can take hold. [Read more 🡒]